Clinton Says North Korea Has ‘No Friends’
U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says North Korea
has no friends left to shield it from the
international community's demands that it should
scrap its nuclear activities.
Mrs. Clinton said many nations had told a North
Korean delegation at regional talks in Thailand that
they were concerned by Pyongyang's recent
"provocative" behaviour, which has included nuclear
and ballistic missile tests.
Speaking at a news conference, Mrs. Clinton said
North Korea's pursuit of its nuclear ambitions could
provoke an arms race in North Asia, one of the
world's most dynamic regions and responsible for a
sixth of the global economy.
She said on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional
Forum on the Thai resort island of Phuket that,
’’Our partners in the region understand that a
nuclear North Korea has far-reaching consequences
for the security future of northeast Asia ... This
would serve no nation's interests.’’
Mrs. Clinton said the North Korean delegation gave
no sign the country was interested in ending its
nuclear programme, which took centre stage at
Thursday's talks.
Reuters/Saint/Yinka